Hand-brake.



K. WILLIAMS.

HAND BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2, I9I8. 1,300,317. Patented Apr. 15,1919. Fgj

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KEITH WILLIAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM H. MINER, OF

CHAZY, NEW YORK.

HAND-BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application led April 27, 1918. Serial No. 231,086.

To all 'whomJ t may concern.'

Be it known that I, KEITH YVILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hand-Brakes, of which the following is a` full, clear, concise, and eXact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hand brakes.

The objectof this invention is to provide a hand brake more particularly adapted for railway cars and which will afford powerful leverage when desired, the arrangement being also such that a rapid preliminary winding may be effected at a comparatively small leverage ratio.

In the drawing forming parts of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hand brake embodying my improvements and showing the same as applied to a wall of a car. And Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In said drawing, 10 denotes the wall of a car to which the improved hand brake is adapted to be attached. As shown, the brake comprises, broadly, a housing or a cas` ing A, a chain winding drum or spindle B, a hand operating wheel C, a journal bearing bracket D, bevel gears E and F, a ratchet wheel G, a gravity-controlled locking dog H, and a gravity-controlled pawl operating handle K.

The casing A is of substantially cylindrical form having an inner wall 11 and outer wall 12. At its inner end, the casing is providedwith suitable lugs or ears 13 by which the casing is adapted to be riveted to the car. One side of the casing A is formed by a detachable plate 14 which aords a bearing 15 for one end of the chain winding drum B. The other end of said drum is journaled in the bracket D, as is clearly apparent from- Figs. 1 and 2. At 'its outer end, the drum B has secured thereto the hand operating wheel C so that the drum can be directly rotated by said hand wheel for the preliminary winding of the chain in taking up the slack.

At the end of the drum extended within the casing A, is provided the bevel gear E of comparatively large pitch diameter. Said bevel gear E coperates with the smaller bevel gear F, the latter being carried by a hollow sleeve 16 journaled at its inner end in a suitable bearing 17 formed in the inner wall 11 and at its outer end in another suitable bearing 18 formed in the outer wall 12 of the casing.

At its outer end, the said sleeve 16 has integrally or rigidly formed therewith the ratchet wheel G with which coperates the pivoted locking dog H. The dog H has a release handle 19 which also acts as a gravity weight to maintain the dog in coperative relation with the ratchet wheel, said dog being mounted on a suitable stud 20 carried by the Wall 12.

To protect the ratchet wheel and dog from the weather, I employ a cover-plate 21 which is held in place by the through bolt 22, the latter extending through the sleeve 16 and to the inner` side of the car wall 10.

Swingingly supported by the bolt 22 is a supporting link 23 to the lower end of which is pivotally attached the said lever K. The latter is formed with an integral tooth 24 adapted to coperate with the ratchet wheel Gr when the lever K is swung in the direction indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 1. Normally, the lever K hangs down under the influence of gravity with the pawl 24 disengaged from the ratchet wheel G. Said lever K is also provided with an arcuate extension 25 which helps to complete the closure for the pawl and ratchet mechanism, it being understood that the casing A must be suitably recessed to accommodate the oscillating movements of the lever K.

In operating the brake, the operator will take up all slack in the chain 26 by rotating the hand wheel C. During this movement, it is evident that the rotative movement of the drum will be communicated to the ratchet wheel G and the latter readily permitted to rotate by the locking dog H. When the slack has been thus taken up, the operator will then employ the pawl and ratchet mechanism to effect a step-by-step rotation. It will be observed that a comparatively high leverage ratio is obtained by the operating lever K itself and this in turn is materially multiplied through the intermediary of the bevel gears E and F. The result is that I obtain an exceptionally liigh leverage ratio to effect the tightening of the brake chain While the compactness of the mechanism is maintained, as Well as its simplicity.

I claim:

1. In a Winding mechanism of the character described, the combination with a rotatable Winding drum, of pawl and ratchet mechanism including an operating handle movable in a plane parallel to the axis of the drum, gearing operatively interposed between Said ratchet mechanism and one end of the drum for rotating the latter upon actuation of said ratchet mechanism; and means for operating said drum directly from its opposite end.

2. In a Winding mechanism of the character described, the combination with a rotatably mounted chain winding drum; of means for Winding said drum directly to take up slack in the chain; and additional means for rotating said drum, said last named means including bevel gearing .to multiply the leverage ratio of the force applied and also a ratchet Wheel and a locking dog coperable With said ratchet Wheel to prevent accidental reverse rotation of said drum.

3. In a Winding mechanism of the character described, the combination with a casing, of a winding drum rotatably supported by said casing at one end and by a suitable bearing at its opposite end, of a bevel gear secured to Said drum at its vend Within the casing, a second bevel gear coperable With the first named bevel gear and journaled within the casing, and pawl and ratchet mechanism for effecting rotation of the second named bevel gear.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11 day of April 1918.

KEITH WILLIAMS. 

